Category Archives: Real Estate

Sweden is Safest as Crisis Upends Bond Market

Sweden is enjoying its lowest borrowing cost ever relative to Germany as investors reward the biggest Scandinavian economy for cutting its debt to less than half Europe’s average and enforcing discipline at its banks. “Everybody is basically fleeing the euro area, not … Continue reading

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First Major State Lawsuit Filed Over ‘Robo-Signing’

The Attorney General alleges these five entities, “engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of Massachusetts’ law by: Pervasive use of fraudulent documentation in the foreclosure process, including so-called “robo-signing”, foreclosing without holding the actual mortgage, corrupting Massachusetts … Continue reading

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Good Charts – Bad News

Last week, we published a chart-essay that illustrates the extreme inequality that has developed in the US economy over the past 30 years. The charts explain what the Wall Street protesters are angry about. They also explain why the protesters’ message is … Continue reading

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Unemployed for Over 26 Weeks

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Ten ways to maximize the use of the North Carolina Home Builders Membership

The North Carolina Home Builders Association (NCHBA) recently created a Membership & Legislative video for all local HBAs to utilize. The first video entitled “The Value of Membership” was designed to give new and existing members an overview of all … Continue reading

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Planning is important but stay flexible.

People feel positive around Thanksgiving, but folks on Wall Street spent the week in a decidedly negative mood. They were put there at the start by Congressional leaders who couldn’t get past partisan politics to deal with our nation’s fiscal … Continue reading

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…”One who is a master of patience is master of everything else.”

The patient approach advocated by the 1st Marquess of Halifax is proving to be the right tactic for mastering today’s housing market. Last week, October Existing Home Sales inched up to an annual rate just under 5 million units. And … Continue reading

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October Housing Starts

Last week some observers felt there were signs home building may be starting to rise. October Housing Starts came in above expectations at a 628,000 unit annual rate. Off a mere 0.3% from the month before, starts are now up … Continue reading

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Homebuilders Target In-Laws, Dogs as Extended Families Grow

The Barnes residence is part of a growing line of new homes marketed to multigenerational families, a category that increased by 30 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. KB Home, Lennar Corp. and PulteGroup Inc. … Continue reading

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NAHB to Appraisers: Stop Using Distressed Sales in Comps

The National Association of Home Builders is speaking out against the use of foreclosures, short sales, and other distressed properties used as comparables to new-home in appraisals. In a speech to the Appraisal Institute in August, NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen … Continue reading

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